Title

Mango Ripening Experiment

Broad Question

Does fruit ripen faster separate or together in a fridge or at room temperature.

Specific Question

Do mangoes ripen faster separate or together in a fridge or at room temperature.

Variables

Independent Variable: Temperature

Dependent Variable: Mangoes

Variables That Need To Be Controlled: The placing of the Mangoes

Hypothesis

I believe that the mangoes will ripen fastest together at room temperature because of the Ethelyn gas produced by the 3 mangoes will cause the ripening process to increase speed plus the heat will also increase the ripening process.

Graph of Hypothesis

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Experimental Design

My experiment will have a very well thought out experimental design. I will be conducting this experiment in my kitchen. The subjects in my experiment will be 3 mangoes. These fruit will be ripened over a period of a week. I will be doing one trial for together and separate each. Also I will be uploading the data onto a spreadsheet on my computer. Finally I will be documenting the process before I begin the experiment and giving a full list of materials.

Material List

. 3 Mangoes each trial ( 4 trials)

. A fridge

. Counter space

. Data Table

. Pen/Pencil

Resources and Budget Table

Data Table

Mango #	Day1	Day2	Day3	Day4	Day5
Mango1
Mango2
Mango3
Mango4

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Background Research

Ethelyn gas enhances ripening of mangoes. The cells in the pulp of the fruit are large lose their integrity due to cell wall at the ripe stage. They contain abundance of starch, which is degraded during ripening. Acid treatment enhances all of these processes. On the other hand, they retain their structural integrity throughout the ripening process in untreated Ethelyn gas treated mangoes. Mango’s ripening by ethylene gas. Mangoes are the biggest fruit product in Asia. Mangoes are grown all over the world in places that have a temperature of 80 degrees or more.

Country Production in millions of tons

India ~ 13.6 tons

People's Republic of China ~ 4.2tons

Thailand ~ 2.5tons

Indonesia ~ 2.2tons

Mexico~ 1.9tons

Pakistan ~ 1.8tons

Brazil~ 1.2tons

World total 34.9tons

A ripe mango will have a full, fruity aroma emitting from the stem end. Mangos can be considered ready to eat when slightly soft to the touch and yielding to gentle pressure, like a ripe peach. The best flavored fruit have a yellow tinge when ripe; however, color may be red, yellow, green, orange or any combination. The ideal post harvest storage temperature for mangos is 55º F. When stored properly a mango should have a shelf life of 1 to 2 weeks. The best way to ripen a mango is at room temperature (according to the all about mangos website), on the kitchen counter and if you wish to accelerate the process place in a paper bag overnight. Once ripened the mango can be refrigerated for a few days, but should be used shortly thereafter.
Mango Nutrient Information*Serving size: 3 1/2 ounces mango slices

Calories Protein Total Carbohydrate Fat Cholesterol Sodium Potassium Vitamin A Vitamin C

66 0.5g 17g 0.27g 0mg 2mg 156mg 3,890IU 27mg

Detailed Procedure

1. Gather Materials
2. Put the 3 mangoes together on fridge shelf
3. Record data each day and take pictures
4. Get 3 new mangoes and repeat step 3 and 2 but instead of fridge place together on counter
5. Get 3 new mangoes and put the 3 mangoes on separate shelf in fridge.
6. Repeat step 3
7. Get 3 new mangoes and put the 3 mangoes on different parts of the counter
8. Repeat step 3

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Conclusion

The original purpose of this experiment was to see what the fastest way to ripen mangoes was.

The results of the experiment were that mangoes ripen fastest together at room temperature.

Photos

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Discussion

I hypothesized that the 3 mangoes would ripen the fastest at room temperature together. My results do support my hypothesis because I found that mangoes do ripen the fastest together at room temperature. There was a relationship between the independent and the dependent variable because I was able to measure the ripeness of the mangoes. One pattern that I saw was on day two the ripeness never went above three or below two. I think the tests I did went very smoothly because I had no interference or problems while doing the experiment. If I could improve my experiment I would add a few different fruits and other situations to see the different outcomes.

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